High school students studying Japanese at level III and IV are encouraged to compete in the second annual Japan Bowl® of Southern California! It will take place on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

The grand prize for Level IV winner is airfare, accommodation and entry fee to the National Japan Bowl® which will be held April 10-11, 2014 in Washington, D.C.!

Japan Bowl® of Southern California is presented by the Japan America Society of Southern California (JASSC) with the collaboration with the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts at Loyola Marymount University. Additional supporters include the California Association of Japanese Language Teachers, the Consulate General of Japan in L.A., the Japan Business Association of Southern California, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles and Teachers of Japanese Southern California.

What is the Japan Bowl®?

In 1992, to make the study of Japan and the Japanese language both challenging and enjoyable, the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., launched the National Japan Bowl®, an annual competition that recognizes and encourages the nearly 50,000 high school students across the United States who have chosen to study Japanese as their foreign language. Over the years, the National Japan Bowl® has grown to become the pre-eminent venue for demonstrating American students’ knowledge of Japan, its language, its history, and its culture, focusing a national spotlight on the close, longstanding relationship between the two countries and their people.

The Japan Bowl® of Southern California will be modeled on the National Japan Bowl®. Given that one-third, or approximately 15,000, of all high school students studying Japanese in the U.S. live and go to school in Southern California, Japan Bowl® of Southern California promises to be one of the most important regional contests of its kind.

In addition to being an outstanding opportunity for students of Japanese language and culture to meet one another, immerse themselves in all things Japanese for a day, and publicly demonstrate the depth of their knowledge of Japan, the Japan Bowl® of Southern California will serve as a preliminary round for the National Japan Bowl®, with the winning team representing Southern California in the national championship.

The Japan Bowl is a team competition - and is open to full-time students who are currently enrolled in Levels III and IV Japanese language classes at a high school in the United States, whether in regular or block schedule classes. Each team must consist of two or three students, and all team members must be formally studying Japanese at the same high school.

At the conclusion of the Japan Bowl® of Southern California competition, the winning Level III and IV teams will be declared Southern California Champions. The Level IV winners will be awarded a trip to compete in the National Japan Bowl® on April 10-11, 2014 in Washington, D.C.!

This Study Guide describes the format, content, and rules of the Japan Bowl® of Southern California competition. It also describes who is eligible to compete. The Study Guide’s purpose is to help students and teachers form teams and prepare for the 2014 competition.

Teams from Title 1 schools may be eligible to receive financial support for the application fee. For more information about Japan Bowl® of Southern California or for information on financial support, please contact Kay Amano, JASSC Programs Director at 310-965-9050 x104 oramano[at]jas-socal.org.